Was thinking about a reblog from @samuraidraconequus with Jayden being half nighlok and I wanna share more about something that crossed both of minds, and their KPDH AU has everything to do with it for me 😅
In my head, instead of a concert/show going wrong, Jayden has his being half nighlok exposed in a battle, maybe by another, stronger nighlok, maybe by Deker, who knows, but the result is the same: The other Rangers know. Lauren has known SOME things, but not everything(she was always told Jayden was sick and needed to be kept away from her or she'd get hurt)
Everyone is in shock and speechless, but the most outwardly spoken are Mike, Kevin, Antonio, and Lauren, Mike asking why Jayden hid this, Kevin wanting to know what else Jayden hid from them and asking how they could be a team when they don't know when he's lying or not, Antonio trying to have Jayden's back and defending him, and Lauren asking how the veining got to be as noticeable as it is, if Ji knew and did nothing to help. Jayden tries explaining that he was trying to keep things together for Lauren and the Seal would have fixed the nighlok veining before they ever had a chance to know
That's even worse, as the team, in shock, doesn't trust Jayden, and when he tries explaining more, even shouting that he can handle what's going on, Mike, Mia, and Kevin draw their weapons, scared and acting to defend themselves on instinct. It still makes Jayden freeze, as his friends just drew weapons on him, but Lauren and Antonio stand between him and the other Rangers. There's arguing, it escalates to shooting, but when thru try to get Jayden's side to everything, to let him explain it all from his perspective, he's gone, having left while they were distracted with arguing
They split up to look for him, but he's fine back to the house to find Ji and tell him that everyone knows he's half nighlok and he can't hide it anymore; there wouldn't be a point to now. Jayden, reeling from what happened, drops to his knees in front of Ji and throws his sword to Ji's feet, telling him to do what his father wouldn't
I should mention that Lauren, Antonio, and Emily have made their way back home, and see this Jalen. They are HORRIFIED to see this, more so when Ji instead rushes to put a blanket of cloak over Jayden's shoulders and tell him they can still cover up the marks and tell the Rangers that what they saw was an illusion and they can still put everything back together. Jayden asks how Ji can say that, as there's no way they can hide this and the Rangers don't deserve to be lied to anymore. Jayden really can't hide what he is anymore and there's no point in trying to because it's what he is
Ji can barely look at him, even when Jayden begs and shouts for him to. Emotions are high and he's teetering over the edge, so it all comes rushing out as Jayden demands to know why Ji and Lord Shiba(Jayden's own father) only ever saw him as a broken thing, saw him as a weapon when he was only a child, asks why they never loved or accepted him. Ji shouts back that he tried to, given his training and his own life, but Jayden snaps that Ji never did, and the outburst allows more, smaller nighlok through
Ji uses this to tell Jayden that this is why they need to keep him in check, that Jayden, in wanting to stop hiding and repressing, will do more damage and cause devastation the Rangers won't be able to fix
Jayden, after a moment, picks up his sword and tells Ji that if he will cause so much damage and hurt by existing and Ji won't stop it, then he'll find the person who will, leaving when he slashes and makes a tear in space, the same way noghlok have to move around, and steps through, the tear closing in a rush of flames, leaving to track down Deker
Ji is now in shock and is speechless when he realizes that ALL THE RANGERS saw that, as Antonio had phoned for back up and they arrived to hear and hear a lot of what happened. Ji tries to cover it up, but Lauren is in tears and beyond angry at Ji; Jayden is her brother and he was already isolated and he'd spent his life being told he was dangerous and a monster. Ji tells her that Jayden is dangerous, but Kevin, who's been deathly quiet, demands how Jayden was dangerous when the real danger to him or any of them is Ji and the nighlok
When Ji says nothing, Lauren tells everyone they're splitting into groups of two to find Jayden before something really bad happens to him. They're going to find him and make sure he's safe and will not be returning until they find him
